Marriage & Family: Creating Harmony in the Home - CHORES

This post is the second in the series "Marriage & Family: Creating Harmony in the Home." Today, I'm focusing on chores. Next week, I am addressing Marriage; the high's, the low's, and why no one should be embarrassed of Marriage Counseling.

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I believe chores are good for kids.

It teaches them that there's a lot of work that has to get done around the house, and helping out is just part of living under the same roof.

When I was growing up I can remember picking up dead oranges from under our orange trees, helping to weed the gardens, and then later as I got older, mowing the lawn.

This was the only way I was given "spending money" as a child. So even though I detested those chores, I did them so that I could ride my bike up to Rexall Drugstore, buy a tube of bubble gum flavored Lip Smackers, and a Teen Beat magazine - and possibly if I had earned enough that week - a Baskin Robbins ice cream cone next door.

I'm sure I didn't always face the chores with a smile from ear-to-ear, but I knew that I had to do them. No exception. No arguing. I just did them.

Now, my kids on the other hand... well... that's been a different story.

Sometimes, Payton will help collect the trash around the house without complaining. But when I would ask him to change the bunny's cage... whoh... you'd think I'd ask him to mop the entire house with his tongue.

Somehow, we let our 10-year old, become TEN YEARS OLD without a set chore list that he was expected to do every. single. week.

But, that's changed.

I want our kids to grow up being helpful, not lazy; feeling gracious, not spoiled; appreciative, not entitled.

So I did some research and I found a great online resource that inspired our new chore lists.

You can visit Simply Kierste's awesome blog for a great list of age-appropriate chores for kids. It goes from 2 years old all the way up 15 and older. Of course some of her ideas didn't fit our family, but I'm sure the same will go for you when you see Payton's chore list.

Just consider both of them guidelines to help kick-start some ideas.

Okay, so with all of that said, here is Payton's new Chore Chart (the actual printed version is much cuter with fonts and colors, but I couldn't figure out how to embed the Word document):

Payton's Chore Chart

Every day:

• ·         Make bed
• ·         Put away clean clothes
• ·         Tidy up room – e.g. NOTHING on the floor
• ·         Wash breakfast & dinner dishes and put in dishwasher
• ·         Empty lunchbox, place dirty containers in dishwasher
• ·         Put all homework materials away and hang up backpack
• ·         Practice guitar 15 minutes

Tuesday & Friday mornings:

• ·         Collect trash from all trashcans into kitchen trash and then take to outside garbage bin
• ·         Replace garbage bag in kitchen

When asked:

• ·         Set table for dinner
• ·         Help unload dishwasher
• ·         Collect dirty laundry from all laundry bins and bring to laundry room
• ·         Take garage garbage bins down to driveway

* If all of these chores are being done on a consistent basis, you can earn 45 minutes of daily computer time.

* Should you have a bad attitude about completing any of your chores, you immediately lose your computer time for that day (or the following day if you’ve already been playing).

* If you want to earn additional computer time (more than 45 minutes) you can do the following:

• ·         Play with Parker (his choice of non-electronic game) for 20 minutes
• ·         Read to Parker for 15 minutes
• ·         Clean the wood floors with spray and dry mop
• ·         Clean toilets and sink areas in BOTH bathrooms (if needed) 

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As I said, some of these may work for your family, and some may not. It's just an example to help give you an idea of what we're doing.

So far, Payton seems very open to it. And to be completely honest, the hardest part has been remembering to let Payton do these chores and not do them myself! Seriously! I am so used to going around and collecting all the garbage on Tuesday mornings, that I just do it without thinking. I have to remind myself that it's now his chore. It's quite freeing actually.

And I know that by having him help out around the house he has a greater appreciation of what I do all day long (which is not sit on the couch eating bon-bons by the way). ;)

Gracious, not spoiled; appreciative, not entitled; helpful, not lazy. That's our goal.

I hope this helps you create some new responsibilities for your own kiddos, and if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I love hearing from ya!